Vice President U Henry Van Thio inspects reinforement of the bank of the Ayeyawady River during his tour of inspection in Ayeyawady Region.

Vice President U Henry Van Thio inspected disaster preparedness undertakings in Ayeyawady Region yesterday, urging local people to be alert to the possibility of natural disasters in the region.
Before making inspection tours, the Vice President held a meeting with local authorities at Maubin Township General Administration Office, stressing the importance of coordinated efforts between the authorities and local people in carrying out disaster preparedness undertakings.
“Natural disasters hardly hit Myanmar in the past, but we all should be aware of the natural disasters today as it hit the country frequently,” said the Vice President.
Myanmar has a high fatality rate from disasters compared to other Southeast Asian nations, with over 12 million people in the country affected with nearly 140,000 fatalities.
He also stressed the importance of correct statistics in implementing the development tasks in the country.
Following the meeting, Vice President U Henry Van Thio began his tour of inspection by visiting Nyaungdon and inspecting maintenance of the bank of the Ayeyawady River that will prevent erosion.
The preventive measures against erosion were also carried out on the banks of the river near Bo Myat Tun Bridge at a cost of more than Ks3 billion.
About 98 per cent of the work has completed.
Meanwhile, the government injected more than Ks986 million into maintaining the Mayan Chaung embankment at Mayan Chaung Village in Danubyu Township.
During his tour, the Vice President also inspected erosion along the river and presented Ks100,000 each to 50 families who lost their homes due to erosion.
The government has spent more than Ks935 million on building cyclone shelters and school cum shelters and digging lakes and wells in the region from the beginning of the 2016-2017 fiscal year to up to date.